Floor wheel for vacuum cleaner nozzles



Jan. 31,1939. w LE THE S 2,145,549

FLOOR WHEEL FOR VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLES Fi led Feb. 24, 1936 INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ward Leathers, Hawo Quadrex Corporation, poration of Delaware rth, N. J., assignor to New York, N. Y., a cor- Application February 24, 1936, Serial No. 65,393

4 Claims.

The general object of my invention is to produce yieldable, self-adjusting nozzle wheels for a vacuum cleaner nozzle being especially applicable to the type vacuum cleaner having a motor-suctionunit rigid with the handle thereof, or for use on the end of a cleaning hose.

This specification is a continuation in part of that set forth in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 713,347, filed February 28, 1934, now Patent No. 2,073,489 of March 9, 1937.

My many Letters Patent granted and applications pending therefor, pertaining to the type of suction cleaner above mentioned, indicate many of the advantages of the present invention.

Self-adjusting wheels for vacuum cleaner nozzles have heretofore been provided of a yielding type where the yieldability has been obtained by a rocking motion. The object of my invention is to produce self-adjusting nozzle wheels giving 20 a direct vertical motion. With the latter principle, the movement of the nozzle toward the floor or carpet can be made proportional to the weight of the machine and the downward pressure on the nozzle exerted by the operator. Another object of my invention is to obtain this motion using the smallest lateral dimensions in order that the nozzle may be used to clean more closely to baseboards and the like, than with types heretofore available. A further object of my invention is to produce a yieldable self-adjusting wheel, particularly adaptable for application to the type of flexible nozzle set forth in my copending application for Letters Patent No. 65,394, now Patent No. 2,071,077 of February 16, 1937.

In order to set forth my invention so that those familiar with these arts may understand, I have prepared this specification and appended drawing hereto of which:--

Figure 1 is a front view of a removable vacuum cleaner nozzle.

Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Figure 3 is a partial cross-section of a yieldable wheel assembly.

Figure 4 is an end view of the same.

Figure 5 is a detail.

Figure 6 is a partial cross-section of a modified self-adjusting wheel assembly.

Figure 7 is a partially sectioned end view of same.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a vertical wheel guide.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a wheel bracket.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a s holder.

pring A rigid cross member I, Figures 1 and 2, preferably a die casting, has a suction cleaning nozzle port on its under side. It is joined to a tapered cone-connector 2 by means of a spring 3, shown in dotted lines. Self-adjusting wheels are shown at 4 and the entire assembly covered with a rubber boot or shoe 5 held firmly to the cross member i by means of wire staples l.

The wheel 4 Figures 3 and 4, is rotatably carried on a stud 8' rigidly held perpendicular to a fiat wheel-support 8 which is joined to a spring 9 in any suitable manner, such as spot-welding (as shown at it). The cross-member I may be cast with a projection II having a slot l2 into which the upper portion of the spring 9 is engaged. In this slot the end of the spring is held free from motion in any direction. The fiat wheel-support i5 is guided at its lower end, for vertical movement only, by means of suitable guides such as large fiat-headed rivets 15 (shown in cross-sectional detail in Figure 5). The wheel support 8 is held under the projecting heads of these rivets It. When the wheel support is moved up a sufficient distance, i. e., when the spring 9 is sufliciently depressed, the bottom of the wheel support 8 may be made to release over the topof the heads of the rivets l5. Thus the wheel is made removable in a very simple manner.

A modification of the above described structure, Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, consists of turning the wheel support 25) into an angle at the top thereof. The wheel spindle 2| is firmly joined thereto at the hole 22. The right angle top 25 may be provided with rounded sliding surfaces 26 for free but smoothly guided motion in the boxlike opening 28 (shown in dotted lines) in the cross-member I. A spring 39 may be snapped into grooves 3! and used for resisting the upward movement of the wheel-and-wheel-support by impinging at its center on the topof said box-like structure. With the spring so mounted on the part 29 a removal of the wheel bracket unit will also remove the spring. The upper portion of the wheel support 20 is shown held and guided but it is also necessary to guide this wheel support near its bottom. This can be accomplished by guides 35 shown as formed from a piece of sheet metal such as spring steel. The part 40 from which they are formed is permanently joined to the end of the die-cast cross-member I as by rivets 42 passed through the holes 43. The lower portion of the wheel support 20 rides in the guides 35 and the wheel assembly may be removed by passing downward until a narrower portion (at 48) is removable between the guides 35. 56

In the wheel support 20 there is a slot-like opening 45. On the guide member 49 there is turned out a spring latch 46. When the wheel assembly is in place the spring latch 46 springs outward through the opening 45 holding the wheel assembly in place but permitting its free upward movement through the limits of the spring action. With any sharp metal object, such as a screw driver, the spring latch 46 may be reached, as at 58, immediately above the wheel 4 (shown in Figure 7 in dotted lines). When this latch is pressed inward the wheel assembly is released and can be removed. In fact the spring action practically throws the spring free from the nozzle.

Having set forth my invention in a form reduced to mechanical practice, it should be understood that there are many types of construction familiar to those versed in these arts which accomplish the same purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle, a rigid crossmember having a cleaning slot on its under side and with an enclosed end, a projecting top portion on said end, a floor wheel rotatably mounted on a vertically movable wheel-supporting member comprising a free end spindle joined to a flat vertical shank, said shank having at its top a horizontally projecting shelf to which a horizontally disposed, corrugated fiat spring is joined in such manner that it is imposed between said shelf and said projecting portion, means joined to said end for guiding said wheel support in a vertical direction and releasable means of engagement between said end and said supporting member.

2. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle, a rigid crossmember having a cleaning slot on the under side thereof, a wheel on the end thereof rotatably mounted by means of a stud spindle joined at right angles to a vertically movable wheel-supporting member formed of sheet metal with an outwardly turned top flange to which a horizontally disposed corrugated fiat spring is joined, guides on the end of the nozzle for guiding the wheel-supporting member vertically, and a latching means holding the wheel-supporting member from ejection from said guides by the action of said spring.

3. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle, a rigid crossmember having a cleaning slot on the under side thereof, and a projection on the top thereof ,a floor wheel rotatably mounted on a spindle rigidly held at one end on a vertically movable wheel-support ing member comprising a fiat vertical shank at right angles to said spindle, having a top flange and disposed on the end of said cross-member, said shank held in guides on the end of said crossmember permitting a vertical movement resisted by a horizontally disposed corrugated flat spring imposed between said flange and said projection, and with means of latching the wheel-supporting member in operable position.

4. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle, a rigid crossmember having a cleaning slot on the under side thereof, and a projection on the top thereof, a floor wheel rotatably mounted on a spindle rigidly held at one end on a vertically movable wheelsupporting member comprising a flat vertical shank at right angles to said spindle, having a top flange and disposed on the end of said crossmember, said shank held in guides on the end of said cross-member permitting a vertical movement resisted by a horizontally disposed corrugated flat spring imposed between said flange and said projection, and with means of latching the wheel-supporting member comprising mutually cooperative elements disposed on the end of said cross member and on the end of said shank.

WARD LEATHERS. 

